Pet toys have been developed to provide increased functionality, with one intention for the pet toys to provide improved and extended interaction for animals. It is known that extending the duration and intensity of interaction between an animal and a pet toy can provide benefits for the animal. For dogs that may experience certain behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety, providing a toy that can keep the dogs occupied for a longer period of time can be therapeutic thereby reducing destructive behaviors that occur from the anxiety. Toys that can be chewed over long periods may provide improved mastication for animals, as well as dental cleaning.
One feature used in many pet toys is the provision of a noise making device, commonly referred to as a “squeaker”. As an animal bites upon the pet toy and makes contact with an overlying portion of the pet toy housing the squeaker, the squeaker is activated to produce a sound. Although squeakers can potentially improve the interaction between the animal and the toy, one drawback associated with squeakers is that they may become easily damaged and destroyed by the animal over a short period of time. Some inventions are directed to providing better protection for a squeaker used in a pet toy.
Another drawback associated with squeakers used in pet toys is that activation of the squeaker may require force to be applied to the pet toy at a specific location and direction otherwise; the squeaker will not be activated. Accordingly, the squeaker may not be activated enough for the animal to remain interested in the toy. Conversely, another drawback associated with squeakers used in pet toys is that if the squeaker is used with a pet toy such as an elastic ball, the squeaker becomes activated upon nearly each type of force applied to the pet toy, and the squeaking noise may over stimulate the animal or annoy the animal as well as annoy the pet owner.
References that disclose various forms of pet toys that incorporate squeakers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,342,132; 8,312,844; 8,468,977; 8,418,656; and 7,833,079. These references and others disclose numerous different types of noise making devices used within pet toys. The pet toys may be made of an elastomeric material such as rubber or plastic, or the noisemaking devices may be housed within fabric or cloth pet toys, often referred to as “plush” toys.
Although these references may be adequate for their intended purposes, there is still a need to provide a noisemaking device within a pet toy that can be activated by a number of different types of forces applied to the pet toy. In this way, activation of the noisemaking device may be less predictable, but provide greater interaction since the animal will not automatically associate a biting action with automatic activation of the noisemaking device. There is also a need to provide a pet toy that provides not only interaction for the animal, but also interaction for the pet owner in which the pet owner and animal may interact simultaneously with the pet toy to provide amusement for both the animal and the pet owner.